Guy Smiley

Good old Henry boy gave me some solid and heartfelt "da-da"'s when I got back from my trip - so good to know he missed me :-) Those were followed by some nice cuddles and beautiful smiles. He is certainly a smiley guy lately and he plays coy by putting his head down on a pillow or on your shoulder and looking at you as if to say "yeah, I'm cute, what are you gonna do about it" :-)

He is learning so much, and even though I just wrote about his quest for growth and knowledge I had to tack on here. He is repeating everything he hears and it was so funny as we were listening to The Wiggles today. He hasn't heard them as much as Liana but he was holding up his finger to his mouth and saying "shh-shh-shh" as they sang those words in Rock-a-Bye-a-Bear, "go, go, go" as they sang "Go, Santa, Go" ad he did his darndest to eek out as close to "cock-a-doodle-doo" during "Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep on His Pirate Ship".

He has recently been announcing "pooh" as he begins to squeak one out or if he hear someone do a fart.

I can't believe how his dexterity has come along - Henry will stab his own food with a fork and get it in or around his mouth (mostly with his left hand but sometimes with his right). One of his new favorite words is "push". He uses it in context and that is good and bad - he says "push" when he is on the swing or if someone else is but he will also go up behind Liana or other kids and say "push" as he pushes them. It is kind of funny to watch but obviously bad behavior so we reprimand him for it. He is not a big fan of being told "no". No matter how gently you tell him it usually results in a lot of tears. That happens even if I am telling someone else (like the cat or Liana) "no". Oh Henry Boy, you are our Gentle Giant.

The moon, dada, the moon!

I say it all the time - I move at a fast pace like most adults as I try to squeeze in work, play, family, sports, reading, chores, etc. I am so thankful that Liana and Henry slow me down a bit. Now, for those that now the pace at which she moves, that sounds strange, so let me explain. On our way home from preschool we got in the car and as we were driving away she found one of her favorite things in the world and exclaimed: "Look, dada, I can see the moon". Sure enough I looked into the clear blue sky and saw it too. I am often so preoccupied that I never take the time to see the moon, but she always shows it to me.

Surprise Visit

I was in Vegas this week for work. As with any type of work in Vegas, there is some play involved too. Early flights, long nights and the redeye home (with a delay at the connector) equals recipe for disaster. That said, I went straight from the airport to pick up the Nugget at preschool. She had no idea I was picking her up and when she saw me she screamed "Daddyyyy!" at the top of her lungs, ran to me and jumped in my arms. We hugged and gave kisses and I put her down. Within 2 seconds she screamed "Daddyyy!" and we did the whole thing over again. What's better than that?!

Pumping

The Nugget is so proud of her ability to "pump" on the swings. Mom and dad are pretty pumped about it as well.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKeqzhXREY

I love that Henry Boy!

Hammerin' Hank has certainly slimmed down - at his one year appointment he was still at the same weight as his 9 month appointment. Nothing to sneeze at but he has been getting longer and leaner and the meaty paws and big feet and head are still there for the loving.

He is developing his own little personality and I have to say he loves his daddy but man, he is a mama's boy for sure. I think it has something to do with the fact that he is still nursing and those boobs have some major power :-) He has the sweetest little laugh and he will copy anything that his sister is doing (including pointing at her and saying "no", just like she does to him).

The "Gentle Giant" moniker still applies - Henry will be very coy and cuddly and give the best smiles and snuggles. He is a talking machine and it seems like every time we turn around he has another word - "spoon", or his version of it was the lastest tonight. We counted up over 35 words that he says - not all perfectly, but he gets his point across. He is really using his sign language as well mastering the signs for "more", "all done", "milk", "thank you" and "please".

This will embarrass him later in life but man, that boy has STINKY feet. I mean, adult-like, no-sock wearing, after soccer practice double sessions STINKY. And the shoes are retaining the smell, too, despite our efforts to powder and sanitize them.

To that end, he loves wearing his shoes. He has quite a collection of Nike sneaks, Nike sandals, loafers, and his favorite lately, the fire engine wellies. He goes to his basket of shoes every morning and picks a pair and says "shoe" while carrying them over to Mama or Dada. We put them on and he waddles around. The wellies with the PJ's or just a diaper is a sweet look.

And finally, the best news of all - he is sleeping much better (fingers crossed!). It took a long time, some patience and popping 16 teeth to get here but he is only waking up once during the night and he usually gets himself back to sleep without any assistance. And, to be honest, if I have to go in and pick him up, he usually falls asleep immediately in my arms, and who doesn't love getting a nice cuddle from a sleeping little baby.

Harvest Day ...

Well, really it was Columbus Day and I had the day off from work. It was unseasonably warm and there was a festival at CN Smith Farm in E. Bridgewater. We rounded up the troops and headed over for a hayride, overpriced pumpkins, and some apple cider. We all had fun and the proof is in the pictures.

Wait, what did you say?

I have so much more Disney stuff to blog about but wanted to share a couple of funny conversations since we got home.

It was a pizza night on Friday since we just got back and had not yet gone shopping. On the way home from the pizza place the Nugget informed me that her two favorite foods are pizza and bacon (because they are soooo delicious!). I said "well do you think you would like bacon pizza (thinking I would be introducing her to a path of pizza perfection)?" She said "that wouldn't taste very good". I said "you might like it if you just try it". In a high pitched Nugget voice she sort of said and sang "I don't think so!"

We were going to make my mom a cake and out of nowhere Liana asks: "what kind of cake does Sally like?" I said "who's Sally". She said: "Grammie Danubio". I said "who told you that?" She said: "well she's your mom.". Yup, that is basically a 3 year old's way of saying "duh-uh Dad!"

Save your money ... Just buy bacon

After an action packed day of breakfast with Goofy, Minnie and Donald (Henry is a HUGE Minnie fan by the way), playing at the pool, going back to Seaworld to ride the rollercoaster, feed the dolphins and see Shamu (in the soak of course) we asked Liana what her favorite part of the day was. Her reply? "Eating lots of bacon at Disneyworld!" Just don't tell that to Porky Pig. Pictures to follow.

Hey Mickey You're So Fine!

The Magic Kingdom was just that...we opened it, left for a while, and then went back and closed it down just a little after midnight. Multiple rides on the teacups, Dumbo, some Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World. All this of course not to be outdone by all of the Princesses, Disney parades, and the best fireworks ever. Henry slept through a lot of it but did enjoy Dumbo and for some reason he really took to the Minnie Mouse plushies of all sizes. We settled on a Pluto instead :-)